This is my experience working in an orphanage and children's hospital in Iasi, Romania for the summer of 2008.

Saturday, June 7, 2008

June 5, 2008 (Thursday)

I had breakfast several times this morning, and I didn’t want it…The day started off with language lessons with Mario. Then when we were done Mario surprised us with a cheese cake she made. Romanian women are so crafty. Mario even made the cheese that went inside the cake. I was flabbergasted. Mario thought it was funny how shocked I was. I didn’t know a person could make cheese at their house…it was really good, but I was extremely full. I had already eaten an apple and piece of toast for breakfast earlier. Then we went and took the kids outside to play and the workers gave me a huge piece of cognac bread. I was so full, but I didn’t want to be rude and not eat it so I stuck it in my scrub pocket when they weren’t looking. I was glad I didn’t get caught.

Andrei was a little doll today. He behaved really well. It was the cutest thing. I was playing with Andrei and Alex at the same time, and I thought Andrei would get mad because he usually gets jealous if I play with other kids…but it was so cute because Andrei absolutely loved Alex. I was sitting there with Andrei on my lap and Andrei bent over and grabbed the wheelchair closer so Alex could play with us. I started playing the game “I got your nose” with Alex, and then Andrei started copying me and doing it to Alex. Then Andrei started doing it to me. We were all cracking up. In between the nose game Alex and I had a staring contest. He loved it! He would crack up if I blinked, and then he would raise his hands in triumph if he won…lets just say that staring contests aren’t my area of expertise.

I’m so in love with my little Andrei it’s ridiculous. It’s going to be so hard to leave him. I get so frustrated sometimes with his situation when I think about it. The workers will sit there and scold him and he can’t hear anything. He will just stare blankly at them. The only thing I think he really understands is “no.” Besides that he has no idea what they are saying. Today he was sitting in the swing and one of the workers got in his face. He just looked at her clueless. It’s really hard for me to see. However, not all the workers are harsh. It probably sounds that way from some of the experiences I have relayed, but there are many workers who are very loving to the kids. Doamna David has been working at the orphanage for 30 years, and she is gentle and loving with all the children. Like anywhere there are nice and mean people.

I ran into Sera outside today. Luckily he was civil. He waved at me from across the playground and started kicking the ball he had been playing with my way. Then he came over and said hi and asked how I was doing. He looked a little sad, but I was glad he was still nice and decent to me. I despise awkwardness.

In between the orphanage and hospital we ran to the other girls’ apartment and sent Dr. Magarrell an email asking her to do away with a paper due on Monday that we all feel is unnecessary. She told one of the girls that she was thinking about taking it out next semester anyways. None of us feel like it is a paper that is worth our time and energy. We are already so busy it’s ridiculous! I hope she will say we don’t have to write it. If not I’m going to be writing it all day Saturday.

Visiting the kids at the hospital went by really fast today. On the 7th floor we found this poor little boy who was probably a little under 1 year old who was in the last room of the hall in a room all by himself. He looked scared to death, and he had poop all over his pants. I felt so bad for him. He had the biggest brown eyes that matched his hair color. I had a hard time leaving him. We held him and played peek-a-boo, and he was quite content. I’m going to visit him tomorrow. Poor thing.

Then we headed to the sixth floor. I told Annie and Mindy I would go with them to the sixth floor because of the events that happened yesterday with the moms. I can’t believe they had the nerve to act the way they did. Like I said yesterday – I’m not as nice as they are. We got up to the sixth floor and the second we walked into the room kids from all the other rooms came flooding in – along with the moms who had been stealing toys from Annie and Mindy. They showed me which moms had been stealing so I kept my eye open for them. The two moms that had been stealing were sitting next to each other. They started playing with a ball I pulled out and she motioned to me that she wanted it for her child. Then she pointed to my ring and said that she wanted my ring. I put together the sternest look I could manage, made eye contact with her and said “nu,” and then I said “nu frumos, nu frumos” (not nice in English) and shook my head. Then while I said “nu frumos” I acted out taking the toys so she would understand that is not okay to steal them. She left us alone for the rest of the time, and then when the girls asked her for their stuff back she gave it back to them. Being able to give bad looks has finally come in handy. Before I left the mom came up to me and started speaking to me in Romanian really fast. Valentine, an older boy in the hospital who could speak English translated what she said. She wanted to tell me that she gave the toys back to the girls so we could take them home with us. I told her “multumesc” (thank you) and left. Valentine is a little boy who is there taking care of his brother at the hospital. He is a sweet boy. His mom works in Italy and his dad takes care of them. The classic story of Romania.

Then while we were in the room another mom came up to me and asked for pampers. I firmly told her “nu” (no) and said “pentru copii fara mama” (for kids without moms). Then she looked at me and touched her cheek (that is a symbol for shame on you). I looked at her, said “nu,” and pointed back at her and emphasized touching my cheek twice. She didn’t bother us after that. I can’t believe some of those moms. It’s ridiculous.

Outreach was an okay time as usual. The missionaries and a few branch members were there. Kenz and I played ping pong for a while. Neither of us are very good. While we were playing the elders were talking to us, and I told Elder Barclay who has only been out a month that he reminded me of my little brother. He was not happy about that. I was like “what? I’m like 3 years older than you.” He was like “you are 2 years and 2 months older.” Us girls were cracking up.

On the way home from Outreach some street boys in a group between the age of five and 16 years old came up to us. There was one little boy in particular who was “cute” (or that’s what we thought). I saw him go behind Kenz to see if she had anything in her pocket and I quickly warned her. Then all of a sudden the 5 year old grabbed her crotch. We quickly left. However, one of the sets of missionaries was following closely behind us and saw what had happened. When us girls turned around we saw the missionaries and street boys were yelling at one another. When the elders caught up with us we asked what happened. Elder Melke said that he told them “we treat woman with respect.” Then he said that they were all laughing and cursing and saying that “it wasn’t a big deal.” Elder Melke said if they did it again he would punch them in the face. Let’s just say it was an awkward situation. I don’t understand what’s up with guys trying to grab girls. When we were walking to go eat for Melissa’s birthday a few days ago an old man in a wheel chair tried grabbing me as I was walking past him. Luckily he missed. I don’t what the deal is with guys and grabbing girls. I think they do it to show dominance. Disrespectful is all I have to say.

My Final Goodbye to Andrei...

This is how Andrei decided to pose for our final picture together...haha...my little monkey.

Last day with Andrei...

Right after I said goodbye to Andrei...these were the gifts I left with him.

The Branch!

Around the Orphanage!

Alex's Birthday party!

Andrei, Cristi and Andrea...my little orphan angels...

Sitting outside with Maria in my lap and the other girls and their kiddos...

Alex swimming on his back...

The Light of my LIFE! My ANDREI!

tickle...tickle...

Classic Andrei pose...such a little stinker...

Can't Get Enough of the Babes in the Hospital!

A little bit of heaven...

The most gorgeous eyelashes you've ever seen...

I'm in love...

This is the little baby that would copy my laugh every time I laughed... such a cutie!

The Black Sea Adventure

I'm pretty sure this is the best picture we took on the trip...

Mindy and I...

Whitney S. and I laying out...

The GANG!

Burying Kenz...

Elyse carrying the umbrella on the way to the beach...

Right before the banana boat ride!

Putting our gear on for the Banana Boat ride!

No turning back...

We are off...

Burying Mindy...

Hospital Fun!

Mihai! Our little angel.

Yes there is some pink in my hair...

The poor thing did not feel well at all.

Kristi! One of our kids at the orphanage with cerebral palsy. He had to go to the hospital for some treatments.

Andreiseni...A Little Bit of Heaven on Earth

Time for bed!

Sleeping under the stars...

We love horses oh yes we do!

Our little cup of honey to eat from the bee man.

MacKenzie's belly after our fifth feeding...we all felt that way...

Any more food anyone?

The old man who sat across from us at the ceremony...he was adorable.

Flowers we were given by one of the families.

We're about to be fed...again...

All the houses have grapevines that line the ceiling when you go to enter their homes...

The librarian who kept giving us gifts!

I caught a baby duck! I was so excited!

The family that grows vegetables in the town.

The beauty of the lake...

The bee man!

One of the houses we dropped by. We were warmly welcomed.

Andrei and his foster mom.

The Monasteries...

Our professor Dave came for a visit. We tried to pick him up for a cool picture. It didn't work.

The beauty...

GORGEOUS

A reservation we stopped by...I shared my apple with a baby deer.

Mario our Romanian Liason. She is great!

Annie's 20th Birthday!

Under the pavillion...

Annie holding the necklace I got her from Krakow...

The most disturbing display of dead goats in the park we have ever seen...it was sick...only in Romania.

GIRLS JUST WANT TO HAVE FUN

Our jumping picture...good times...

Whitney S. and I hit legs while we were jumping...

The pyramid...

Reenacting Annie's Drawing!

I was trying to make sure their poses were just right...

This was the black and white picture we took in order to reenact the drawing Annie drew...

Color version....

Our Birthday Girl!

Whitney S.

An amazing pic of Mindy...haha...I love it!

JULY 4th! I'm PROUD to be an AMERICAN!

The gang...

My roomies...we're all dressed in red, white and blue!

Picnic time...

Balloon Toss!

I just got a piece of ice down Annie's pants...haha...poor thing...

MacKenzie just got ice down my pants...

Water fun...good times..

This is the face of Elder Armstrong who just had a bag of ice water thrown on him...

Good times at the Hospital!

I put a fake tatoo on Marius...

We couldn't get her bed side to go down all the way - so I jumped in and played with Alexandra - she recently had another surgery...

Auschwitz and the Holocaust...

Entrance to Auschwitz...we didn't take pics inside out of respect for those who died...

Birkenau...a few miles away from Auschwitz...

Housing...if you could call it that...

Drawing done by children in one of the blocks...

Each block had line after line of this type of bedding...each slot fit four to five people to a bed...

The restrooms in each block...

Pond memorial where the ashes were put after the bodies were burned...

Rubble of the crematorium that was blown up by the Nazis to cover up any evidence of their wrong doings...

Krakow, Poland

We had fun building a pyramid in the courtyard of the Wawel Castle...

Medieval Square!

Our sillly side...

We kept getting lost...but we always found our way!

Feeding the birds in Medieval Square...

My blue bike with a horn! I love that little horn...

Can't tell it's a rental bike huh?....

A little rest from bike riding!

We decided to rent bikes for a few hours and ride around Poland...so fun...

We love our ice cream soo...

Running around...

The girls...

A giant head in Medieval Square...

Whitney Scott decided we each needed an individual photo shoot along the Wawel Castle wall...

My FAVORITE CITY! BUDAPEST...

Yes this picture is real...

So gorgeous it takes your breath away...

Parliament Building! GORGEOUS!

We love chocolate crepes oh yes we do!

Monument to Hungarian Jews that died in the Holocaust...

Ironically I ran into Truman Hunt (CEO of Nu Skin) and Scott Schwerdt (President of Americas and Europe at Nu Skin) when I went to church in Budapest...For those of you who don't know I worked at Nu Skin for over a year, and I was treated very well by the company....What a small world.

Shopping on the bridge...sooooo fun!

On our way home...wornout and sunburned...

The most gorgeous waterfall ever...outside the castle...

The city I love!

Heros' circle...

The castle...

Try saying this word five times fast...haha...

Good ol' sleeper trains...

Largest Jewish synagogue in Europe...

We're soo crazy...

Even on vacation church is a good thing to attend...

SCABIES!!!!!!!!

The night we found out we had scabies we had to take a shower, put the ointment on, then sleep in our outfit that we were wearing the next day...then we had to do it all over again the next day...DANG SCABIES...

Annie and I had fun being dramatic in this picture...

Cream to the rescue!

The Hospital...

Marion....can you say adorable!

Marius giving me a kiss on the cheek after a rough game of arm wrestling...

My Orange Hair...

I was feeling a bit nervous...if only I knew what the outcome was going to be...

This was my hair right after I dyed it...it has now faded (thank goodness) back to a golden blonde...yes - everyone have a good laugh...P.S. Mom I need you to set me up a hair appointment for the day I get home...thank you.

Marion's Funeral...

Picnic with the Priest and Mayor

I felt like I was in a fairy tale!

The priest...

The mayor (left) and a friend (right)...

Oh my Claudio!

My Claudio laughing!

Kenz and I at the hospital...

Dinner with the Moldova Boys

The Hospital

Florine our little trickster...

Alexandra...so adorable! She has been in the hospital for months. She has had several surgeries on her feet.

The gang on the 6th floor...

Claudio...the lost little boy on the 7th floor...

Our little Marion from the orphanage...he needs a kidney transplant desperately or he won't make it...

The lovely hospital floors...

Melissa's Birthday!

This is my favorite pic of Melissa...haha...

Picnic Time!

After a long game of Ultimate Frisbee...

Elyse and Mindy...oh the joy.

My friend Sera and I.

I hand sewed this skirt and wore it to church! I was soooo proud of myself!

Annie made a skirt too...we had to take a pic...

Night on the town....

Mamma Mia Steak House

A bunch of people were handing out flowers in an effort to get final votes for some politician...we didn't vote, but we did have fun with the flowers!

The Hospital...continued

Poor thing had the worst fever...

Alexandra and Roxanna...two sisters...so full of energy and love!

Samson...this little boy cries all day for his mom...

Florine our little flirt...he went back home Friday...he will be dearly missed!

My Little Orphan Kids!

MY ANDREI!

Valentina my little vampire...

Maria...she is always full of surprises!

Iulia...

Constantine...

Irina...

Church

Church and our fellow Relief Society Members!

My Roomies!

SCARY!

This is written all over in our apartment building...guys aren't real respectful of women here.

More Babies!

We found more babies without moms to love...they were hiding from us on a floor we never go to...

He kept falling asleep while I was feeding him...

Annie was blowing on the babies neck...there is NO air conditioning in the hospital and they bundle the kids up. Everytime we pick them up they are drenched in sweat...poor things!

THE HOSPITAL

My sweetheart...the poor thing is a boy, and they dressed him in pink.

Poor thing...everytime he coughs her entire face turns purple.

Our little Octavian!

MacKenzie tried asking the nurse this orphans name and they said "he's an orphan he doesn't have one..." We decided this was too sad so we named him Octavian.

This baby was a newborn orphan. So tiny...The poor thing is having heart surgery soon...

I was blowing on her stomach...she got a kick out of it!

Our little angel...except we call her grumpy because sometimes she doesn't like to smile - but when she does she lights up the room!

Florine and I...he's such a little ladies man!

Countryside of Romania

City of Brashov

Brashov

Mindy and I in the town square of Brashov!

At the Hostel!

Mindy got the bottom bunk, and I got the top...so fun!

The ENTIRE gang at the hostel...

We love each other!

Peles Castle

Can you say GORGEOUS?

I look like I'm in pain...

Dracula's Castle

Part of the gang!

Vlad the Impaler's Castle

The Cemetery and the Old Man

The old man...

The PIATA...it's like an underground market place where everyone brings their fresh fruit and vegetables to sell...it's our favorite place to go so far.

THE CITY OF IASI

View Outside Our Window...

Although you don't see a lot of grass in the city...you can tell it's very green here...I can't wait to see the country side!!

These are the apartments in Iasi...buildings like these cover the city...

A gypsy girl came up and asked us for a banana for her baby brother...we gave one to her - but you have to be careful because more will come and beg you for food.

A gypsy family...you see them walking around sometimes...however, they are discriminated against by the Romanians greatly.

Us girls needed some CHOCOLATE...gogosi is amazing here...it's like an inverted donut. We can't eat too much of these though or we are going to come back weighing a thousand pounds.

Cultural Palace continued...

The Cultural Palace...just down the street from where we live...absolutely gorgeous!

The city wasn't designed to have parking spots...so cars park everywhere...including the sidewalks. The drivers are a little crazy. They don't really follow the the driving laws - then again maybe they don't have any?

The rain loves us!

Embrace the RAIN!

Water in my shoe after the first Sunday...nice...

The Last GIRLS' Night!

Aunt Courtney and me....isn't she simply radiant!

My Mom and Aunt Ariane...but she's like my sister...

The COUNTDOWN begins...

My Attempt to Pack...

I think I need to reorganize...or cut back on the amount of clothes I'm taking...

Such a homemaker...these scrubs will be my best friend in Romania!

Toys for the children!

Whitney's Favorite Quotes

"No individual has the right to come into the world or go out of it, without leaving behind him distinct and legitimate reasons for having passed through it." - George Washington Carver

"Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres."~ 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 ~

"The only things in life you regret, are the risks you didn't take."

"How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world." - Anne Frank